Saints Q&A with Bradley Handwerger + Texans to watch in preseason game 3

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This week’s pregame preview is with Bradley Handwerger of WWLTV.com. I’ve been following his Twitter account @wwltvsports for a few years, and I think he does a great job of giving fans a real talk, day-to-day view of what is going on with the Saints. He does a nice job of responding to tweets as well. You can check out his work at on WWLTV.com’s Saints Eye on Black and Gold page.

Here’s our Saints Preseason Game 3 Q&A:

What is different/same between this Saints team and previous ones?

“This is a hard one to quantify considering no regular season games have been played. That said, through nearly four weeks of training camp, it appears the defense may be a little bit faster and have more athleticism on the line and in the secondary than in 2012. The question will be how the linebackers hold up. The 2013 Saints may be similar in that regard to the ’09-’11 teams. 2012 was such an anomaly with everything that happened off the field that it’s hard to consider it part of the regime that has been in charge since ’06. There was little true leadership from above in ’12.

The offense, with Sean Payton back, appears to be set for another big year. He has dedicated himself to calling more runs on offense and Drew Brees has figured out how to use new toys Nick Toon and Kenny Stills. Tight end Jimmy Graham is in a contract year. Running back Darren Sproles is still fast. And, well, you kind of get the point.”

Any key injuries/non-participants of note for this matchup?

“Inside linebacker Jonathan Vilma had arthroscopic knee surgery a week ago and will miss the remainder of preseason. While that would seem like a hit, David Hawthorne and Ramon Humber proved to be good enough fill-ins in New Orleans’ second preseason game that missing Vilma feels like less of a worry for this defense. Two of the other players who have missed time this week – linebackers Will Herring, Chris Chamberlain – aren’t major players for the team. Junior Galette, who is expected to be the team’s menace at the Sam outside linebacker in Rob Ryan’s 3-4 scheme , has been out for nearly two weeks. There hasn’t been a timetable set for his return. Galette’s backup, Martez Wilson, isn’t expected back until the opening week of the season with a dislocated left elbow. Receiver Marques Colston has practiced on and off during camp and while Sean Payton hasn’t said yes or no about playing him, it’s likely that he won’t see the field. He started camp on the physically unable to perform list with a foot issue.

And then there are the two players injured early in camp who were supposed to give the team a lift. Receiver Joseph Morgan, the team’s deep threat, partially tore the meniscus and fully tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee. Defensive end Kenyon Coleman tore a pectoral muscle and has been placed on IR.”

What do you think are the strengths of this Saints team?

“Without a doubt the strength of this team is on offense. It’s the combination of quarterback Drew Brees and his many options for throwing passes to – Graham, receiver Lance Moore, Colston, Sproles, Toon, Stills, running back Pierre Thomas and tight end Benjamin Watson. Not to sound like a homer, but it’s an embarrassment of riches for Brees to play with in games. The offensive line won’t wow you with power, but they do the job in giving Brees a central pocket to bide his time in while finding which receiver is open.”

And the weaknesses?

“As referenced above, the linebackers, especially during preseason, are the team’s weakness. Against Oakland in the second preseason game, only one of the four projected Day 1 starters played – 10-year veteran Will Smith, who is making the change from 4-3 defensive end to 3-4 Jack outside linebacker. If Smith is on passing plays, he’s the biggest mismatch for opposing quarterbacks to find. Humber and Hawthorne have both shown flashes that they can tend the inside if called upon, but it’s hard to tell if Oakland is just that bad or they understand Ryan’s defense that well. And the other outside linebacker so far has been journeyman fifth-year linebacker Jay Richardson, who spent the past two seasons off the field and running his own insurance firm.”

Who are some Saints players that Texan fans may not know who may have an impact on the game either in a negative or positive way?

“Payton said earlier this week that the starters will go at least the whole first half, if not longer. That means Houston fans will get to see a heavy does of three players new to New Orleans who will have an impact not just on this game, but on the Saints’ season. I mentioned Watson above. He signed as a free agent in the spring after spending several seasons in the wasteland that is Cleveland’s professional football club. But he still has the size and athleticism that made him one of Tom Brady’s favorite targets when the two were together in New England. Cornerback Keenan Lewis was signed away from Pittsburgh and immediately upgraded the right cornerback position. He led the NFL in pass breakups in 2012, his first full year as a starter with the Steelers. And safety Kenny Vaccaro. The rookie has come in and put his stamp on defense, playing rough, physical football during training camp practices, something that has been missing in New Orleans for a few years.”

Any questions that you think fans would like to know that I didn’t ask?

“Folks seem to be quite interested in what Sean Payton’s return to the sideline means. And while it’s not “new” anymore, Sept. 8 against Atlanta it will still be a story. What the Saints were missing in ’12 was not just his feel for calling the right plays in the right order, but the accountability he holds his players to. That may not necessarily be seen in a preseason game, but it will show itself by the end of December.”

Please thank Bradley for participating in this Q&A.

Think that is a great summary of where the Saints are right now as a team.

I’m not sure how much you can look at last year’s Saints, and project to this year’s Saints given the fundamental coaching changes. Even so, here’s a look at last year’s regular season numbers as just a very rough guide of strengths/weaknesses for your information:

The 2012 Saints resemble the Saints teams before their Super Bowl, and the Gary Kubiak Texans before Wade Phillips. By changing defensive coordinators again, the Saints are hoping to get a credible enough defense to be competitive every game.

The Saints offense is not as balanced and devastating as the Patriots’ offense traditionally has been, but it is very explosive. The numbers from last year may be artificially low because 1. No Sean Payton; 2. If your defense is terrible, it is hard to run a balanced, normal offense because you are often playing from behind.

Yes, it is preseason, but it will be a nice measuring stick for a defense that is incorporating new parts.

Things to Watch for The Game.

Quarterback. So it appears as though Matt Schaub will play the first half, and Gary Kubiak is still deciding who gets additional reps after Schaub. Both T.J. Yates and Case Keenum will get a lot of snaps for the final game.

Certainly whatever his decision is, it will get a lot of attention.

Running Back. Do they decrease the number of run stuffs at the line? It was a problem last year in the regular season. Yes, this is just the preseason but certainly the coaches want to fix this for 2013.

How does Ben Tate look for an extended period of time? Is this finally the season where the Texans get to do the Foster/Tate 1-2 punch?

At this point, it would be hard not to see Deji Karim as the third running back given he has the most experience.

Wide Receiver. With DeAndre Hopkins expected to miss the game after his concussion last week, how will the remaining wide receivers not named Andre Johnson perform?

No Antonio. How does the non-Antonio Smith defense look? He has been a solid player who up until his suspension game, has not missed any time for the Texans defense. You just sort of ink him in, assume solid play from that spot. How does the first team defense look without Smith?

Outside linebacker. Very difficult roster decisions involving the inexperienced players at this spot. Between OLB and safety, Drew Brees is one of the best at exploiting mismatches, creating confusion.

Kicker. Can field goal kicker remain a non-story for the Texans?

Health health health. Really, the most important thing about this game is how healthy they come out of it. Whether they look awesome, bad or somewhere in the middle, health dictates what they can do with their roster. If you missed it, I strongly suggest you checking out my review of Texans rosters over the years and comparing it to 2013.

Third preseason game is the one that best replicates regular season preparation. Plenty of things to look at. Have any questions, please ask.